Charles morlet



(No Model.)

0. MORLBT.

WATCH WINDING MECHANISM.

No. 396,166. Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES MORLET, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONEJTALF TO PROSPER NORDMANN, OF SAME PLACE.

WATCH-WINDING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,166, dated December 25, 1888. Application filed April 28, 1888. Serial No. 272,101. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES MORLET, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in atch JVinding Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved watchwinding mechanism which is specially designed for stem-winding watches, and which is intended to prevent by comparatively simple and effective means the straining of the mainspringand the breaking of the same by a careless turning of the winding mechanism, so that any danger of injury to the transmitting train of gear-wheels of the movement by the breaking of the mainspring is-avoided.

The invention consists, broadly, of the combination, with the winding mechanism, mainspring, and spring-barrel, of a safety mechanism or stop device by which the winding up of the mainspring is interrupted before overstraining can take place.

The invention consists, more specifically, of the combination, with the arbor of the springbarrel and the mechanism for winding up the mainspring, of a cam havin a projecting heel attached to said arbor, and a stop-spring engaging said heel and being attached to a gearwheel turning loosely on the arbor of the spring-barrel, said gear-wheel receiving mo tion by a second gear-wheel and intermediate bevel-wheel from the winding-pinion until, when the mainspring is nearly wound up to its full extent, the stop-spring releases the heel of the cam and interrupts thereby the winding up of the mainspring and prevents the overstraining or breaking of the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the top of a stem-winding watch with my improved safety attachment applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar side elevation showing the position of the safety attachment after the winding up of the mainspring has taken place. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on line :20 .11, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the spring-barrel of a watch-movemen t, and a the arbor of the same. The mainspring b is wound up, in the usual manner in stem-winding watches, by a bevel-pinion, (l, which is keyed to the stem of the watch, and which meshes with an intermediate bevel-wheel, d, and by a gearwheel, (Z on the arbor of the bevelwheel (Z with a second gear-wheel, (1 at the top of the movement, as shown in Figs. 1 and The mainspring l) is attached in the usual manner, by its inner end to a collar, 0, on the arbor a and by its outer end to the springbarrel A. A ratchet-wheel, Z), is attached to the lower end of the arbor a and engaged by a check-pawl, h" when winding up the mainspring. To the opposite end or head of the arbor a is rigidly secured by a fastening-serew, f, a disk-shaped cam,f, that is-provided at one point of its circumference with a projecting heel, f which is engaged by the end of a stop-spring, g, that is attached by screws to the gear-wheel d, which. turns loosely on a shoulder or hub of the cam f, as shown in Fig. The gear-wheel (Z is rotated by the winding mechanism of the watch, so as to carry along the stop-spring g, cam f, arbor u, and wind up the mainspring.

\Vhen the mainspring is almost entirely wound up, the resistance of the same gradually increases until it overcomes the tension of the spring g and releases the latter from the heel f of the cam f, so as to permit the turning of the winding-up mechanism without affecting the mainspring. The strength of the stopspring g has to be so proportioned to that of the mainspring that the release of the former from the cam f takes place when the mainspring is nearly wound up, so that thereby the overstraining or breaking of the mainspring by careless winding is prevented.

My safety attachment is of very simple and reliable construction, is located on the top of the watch-nlovement, and automatically called into action whenever the mainspring is nearly wound up, so that the watch-movemcnt is effectively protected against injury caused by the overstraining of the mainspring or the breaking of the same.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a stem-winding watch, the combination, With the spring-barrel, mainspring, and Winding mechanism, of a safety attachment consisting of a cam keyed to the arbor of the spring-barrel and provided with a heel at its circumference, and a stop-spring engaging said heel, said spring being applied to a looselyt-urning' gear-Wheel on said arbor, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the spring-barrel, mainspring, and Winding-arbor of the same, of a cam keyed to said arbor and provided with a heel, a gear-wheel placed loosely on the Winding-arb0r,'a stop-spring; attached to said gear-Wheel and engaging the heel of the cam, and intermediate Winding gear-Wheels operated from the stem of the Watch-movement, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

. CHARLES MORLET. lVitnesses:

MARTIN PETRY, J OHN A. STRALEY 

